The following text was written in 2011. Update 2016: All ATM machines should have been upgraded by now and all new ATMs being manufactured are compliant. ADA requirements became law on March 15, 2010. The Department of Justice requires ATM machines to be in compliance with the new guidelines by March 15, 2012. That means that the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991 was still in effect until that day. On March 15, 2012, the old ADA Act of 1991 became null and void. If you bought your ATM from ATMmachine.com, or you process through MAG, the guidelines below are applicable. Final cost of upgrades will be determined later based on any additional requirements that may have to be addressed.
The ADA requirements for ATM machines came out in 2010. As stated above, current ATM owners and manufacturers must meet the minimum guidelines as required by the ADA laws. The laws are very complicated to sort through, but we will try and give a synopsis of exactly what the new laws mean. And why your current ATM machine might not meet the guidelines when March 15, 2012 comes around. First, why are they called requirements? Many things can hang on the balance of ADA guidelines. Much like requiring accessible restrooms, wheelchair access, etc., an ATM must meet Federal ADA requirements for reach and height. The ADA laws of 2010 addresses and expands the blind's access to using an ATM machine. Insurance companies and government inspectors may not cover or approve the business location because of a non ADA ATM. These are guidelines to follow, first for manufacturers. They must now alter, or, they already have, the production specifications to convert all ATM machine specs to the 2010 ADA standard. First, machines must convert to new physical access standards. Physical access is: how the machine is approached. How easily the ATM can be reached. And finally, how the tall the keypad can be, and still be accessed. Communication standards are: how the machine is accessed, and in the case of a blind ATM user, how private the transaction is. New guidelines and requirements dealing with this can be as simple as putting a Braille sticker over the headphone jack to let blind users know where the audio jack is. Another requirement takes care of the problem of people looking over the shoulder of a sight disadvantaged person. Each person using the headphone jack can now have the screen go black, (some say blank) to prevent the potential of dishonest people looking over their shoulder to watch the PIN number being put in.
But what about older ATM machines? Will older machines become instantly obsolete on March 15, 2011. Yes, some will, however they will not stop working. On March 16, 2012 every ATM machine out there will still operate, business as usual. Although there is no government agency that will be enforcing this law, it is still a law. You won't be arrested or fined for not having an ADA compliant ATM machine. But, an ATM that is not compliant will be potentially open for a consumer lawsuit by one of your customer's trying to use it. If your machine does not meet the guidelines and you are sued for not having an ADA compliant ATM, you might not have a great chance of winning that case.
Be careful when you buy a used ATM machine! Some cannot be upgraded to meet the 2012 guidelines. Some ATM machines were made too tall. They do not meet the maximum requirements for ATM height. Some do not have the technology built in to make the screen go black, have a speech option, or even a headphone jack for audible voice prompts. In some cases, for instance with older Triton machines, the cost may be prohibitive to an ATM machine owner wanting to upgrade their old machine to 2012 standards. Just one ATM part required by a Triton machine is $930. If the ATM is already 10 years old, it may not be wise to put a lot of money into an older machine. When a new machine is only about $2100 or so.
ATM machines manufactured by Nautilus Hyosung that are affected:
MB1000 / MB2xxx / Nanocash / 2100T / MB1500 / MB5000 / MB1800ce/se
Nautilus Hyosung has not made an official release of what upgrades will be necessary to bring their ATM units into compliance for 2012. But we do know that Nanocash units will not be upgradeable. They were not manufactured with a headphone jack, and they are not capable of running software that supports speech.
Nautilus Hyosung has an additional burden on it for meeting the 2012 ADA requirements. They manufactured Tranax machines back in the old days. So they are obligated to come up with a fix for the older Tranax machines. See Hantle below for more about Tranax brand ATM machines. Hantle used to be Tranax. And Tranax used to be Cross.
ATM machines manufactured by Hantle USA affected:
1700 Series / 1700w / c4000 / T4000
All models listed above will require an application software upgrade in order to meet all ADA guidelines for 2012. More information on this later. You can find what version of the application software you are using by printing out the set up report. It is an administration report. Under the operating system listings will be a bios version and an AP version (application software). The bios is connected with the computer that runs the software. After the upgrade the setup report will show the updated application software as something like 14.5.09. But this is just an example, not the actual version.
All models above will also need a label in Braille that directs an ATM user to the location of the headphone jack. There was no Braille included near the headphone jack so the user could not find the jack on Hantle machines.
Note: Hantle USA used to be Tranax. Some Tranax machine models were made by Nautilus Hyosung. Nautilus Hyosung is responsible for coming up with any upgrades for those machines. Please check back as Nautilus has not announced their ATM upgrade status.
1700 series ATM (mono/color) application software upgrade was ready by July 1st, 2011
1700w series ATM application software upgrade was available around June 1, 2011
Both the C4000 and the T4000 ATM's will have software upgrades and were available by June 1. 2011 as well.
Genmega ATM's: G1900 / G2500 / GT3000
We do not have any additional information on Genmega ATM's. Their ATM's are compliant we think, as the company was only a couple of years old when the guidelines were updated.
NCR ATM machines and their ADA upgrades are unknown to us at this time. NCR has made many models of ATM over the years and the list was long and complicated. Mainly a manufacturer of bank and industrial strength ATM's, they may have had over 25-50 different models of ATM on the market that we can think of. NCR requires ATM tech's be certified with NCR to do repairs. The same should be true for ADA upgrades. If there is a keypad upgrade, or some kind of internal ATM part, an NCR tech will probably be required to complete the upgrade.
Almost all ATM's manufactured by Triton are affected by the 2012 ADA in some way. Let's start with these:
XScale / X2 series / RL1600 / RL2000 / RL5000 / FT5000 / RT2000
The through the wall ATM's we sold as the FT5000 and RT 2000 meet all the ADA requirements going into effect.
The lobby models we sold as the RL1600, and the RL 2000 meet the ADA requirements. Between July 2003 and February 2008, Triton did not include a Braille identifying decal sticker for the headphone jack on the RL5000 because it was not required at the time. Since February 2008, Triton has included this sticker on the RL5000. The XScale and X2 series will need this Braille decal sticker to be 2012 ADA compliant.
Braille decal
Triton 9600
If you have a Triton 9600, check your manufacturing date. The date your machine was built. The old 9600 machines are work horse machines that just keep on working and working. Unfortunately, their day has come. If you have a 9600 made before 2000, it is not upgradeable. For a while there, Triton made these machines taller than the ADA requirement, of 48" tall. Not easy to cut the bottom off of a steel machine, so it will have to be replaced. For the Triton 9600 machines made after 2000, Triton has developed ADA Compliance kits that include all parts and components to bring the ATM into compliance. The ATM will have had to be upgraded already to PCI compliance and meet the tactility requirements of the ADA. PCI compliance involved the replacement of the keypad so it would accept 3DES (Triple DES) Pin Pad encryptions. Tactility requirements involve the CLEAR, ENTER, CANCEL and "5" keys to have raised symbols on the keys.
9600 models that need only the speech requirement kit
9600 models that need the speech requirement upgrade and a PCI upgrade (this is rare)
Triton 8100 / 9100
Color LCD - This model needs a Braille decal sticker identifying the audio headphone jack. Check for raised symbols on the CANCEL, CLEAR, ENTER, keys. If they do not have these symbols it will need a PCI keyboard upgrade to be ADA compliant. 9100 Color LCD ATM versions that were shipped prior to August 2005 will also need a PCI compliant keypad upgrade kit.
Braille decal
PCI Keypad Upgrade Kit
Mono LCD - All models of Mono LCD 8100 / 9100 Triton ATM's will need the Braille sticker. Note that Triton began shipping the speech kit as standard equipment on the 8100/9100 Mono LCD version in April 2004. 8100 / 9100 Mono LCD ATM's made before April 2004 will need a speech requirement compliance kit. 9100 Mono LCD models shipped prior to August 2005 and 8100 Mono LCD models shipped prior to December 2005 will need the keypad upgrade kit in addition to the speech compliance kit.
Braille decal
ADA Upgrade Kit for Speech requirement
PCI Upgrade Kit for keypad
Triton 9700
This model of ATM only needs the Braille decal sticker identifying the location of the audio jack.
XP Series (RL5000xp, FT5000xp, FT7000)
Through the wall FT5000xp and FT7000 ATM machines meet the 2012 ADA guidelines
Lobby model ATM RL5000xp made between December 2004 and March 2008 will need the Braille sticker identifying the location of the audio jack. Machines made after March 2008 do not need the decal as it was included
Braille decal